"I've seen a lot of renewed energy and excitement along with anxiety and discomfort with the change of a new district," John Bennion, the transition team's chairman, said during a meeting Thursday at Willow Springs Elementary in Draper.
The team was formed to collect ideas, concerns and overall information on the split from residents of Alta, Sandy, Draper, Cottonwood Heights, Midvale and part of Salt Lake County whose schools will be part of the new district. The team will present its findings and recommendations to the new east side school board after it takes office this summer.
Bennion said some residents see the new, smaller district as providing an opportunity for the new board to pay more attention to the east side and address its needs.
Two more town meetings are planned this month:
* Wednesday at 7 p.m. at in the Brighton High School cafeteria, 2220 E. Bengal Blvd., Cottonwood Heights.
* May 15 at 7 p.m. at Midvale Middle School, 7852 S. Pioneer St., Midvale.
- Roxana Orellana
12 students honored as essay finalists
The Utah Board of Juvenile Justice honored 12 middle school students for their essays about the effects of violence at a luncheon Friday at the Governor's Mansion.
As part of Utah's Seventh Annual Do the Write Thing Challenge, more than 800 students statewide wrote essays about how violence has affected their lives and how to prevent it. The finalists were:
* Casey Badger, St. George
* Amanda Groneman, Springville
* Harrison Hughes, St. George
* Lauren Larsen, Ephraim
* Michael Roche, Ogden
* Alexandra Maiava, Ogden
* Gloire Seba, Salt Lake City
* Rachel Rowley, Ogden
* Christian Serage, St. George
* Lauren Smith, Provo
* Ben Stewart, St. George
* Rachel Stevens, Hyde Park.
Two winners from Utah will be recognized with other National Finalists at the Do the Write Thing National Recognition Ceremony in Washington, D.C., sponsored partly by the Kuwait-America Foundation. A book filled with the students' writings will be placed in the Library of Congress.
- Lisa Schencker
